HOW CAN I GET A LOCAL SCHOOL OF
INSTRUCTION FOR MY CHAPTER AND COUNCIL?
The Grand Chapter and Council Committee on Work would be pleased
to be invited to send someone to conduct a local school of instruction. You can
contact any member:
|
Tim Towson (Garland and
Mabank) - Chair |
(469) 261-7081 |
|
|
Dale D. Secor (Pasadena) |
(713) 503-5463 |
|
|
Eldon L. Brooks (Granbury) |
(817) 573-6033 |
|
|
Allan W. (Skip) Dees
(Midland) |
(432) 520-6117 |
|
|
David Rogers (Garland) |
(241) 682-6241 |
HOW LONG IS A SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION SUPPOSED TO BE?
That
depends on how much you want to cover. The typical local school is 3-6 hours in
length, including a lunch or dinner break.
HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS DOES THE HOST CHAPTER/COUNCIL HAVE TO
GUARANTEE TO WARRANT HOLDING A LOCAL SCHOOL?
The
Committee on Work does not require a "guarantee" of a certain minimum
number of participants. It does take at least 10-12 people to do a really good
job on most of the Degrees, and there have been local schools with 40-50 in
attendance.
HOW MUCH NOTICE DOES THE COMMITTEE ON WORK REQUIRE TO SETUP A
LOCAL SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION?
The
primary consideration, from the viewpoint of the Committee on Work, is that the
Host for the local school have enough flexibility in a request to allow for
potential schedule conflicts. All of the setup (arrangements to use the Lodge
building, getting the Degree paraphernalia, etc.) is the responsibility of the
Host. The responsibility of the instructor(s) is to show up ready to teach.
WILL THE COMMITTEE ON WORK PUBLICIZE THE SCHOOL?
The
Committee on Work may put a notice of the local school on the York Rite
Website, but promotion of the school locally is up to the local host. An easy
way to do this is to call the Secretaries of other area York Rite bodies and
ask them to announce the School at their meetings.
WILL THE HOST CHAPTER/COUNCIL HAVE TO PROVIDE A MEAL?
That
is not required, although it helps to keep people together and minimize the
length of the meal break. A meal can be very simple - something like sandwiches
or stew. The host can put out a "donation box" that will probably
cover the cost of the meal.
IS THE HOST CHAPTER/COUNCIL EXPECTED TO PAY MILEAGE, LODGING, OR
OTHER EXPENSES?
The
Committee on Work has a travel budget for mileage and lodging for regional
schools, so local Chapters and Councils are not expected to pay Committee
member expenses.
WHO DECIDES WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT AT A LOCAL SCHOOL?
The
Committee on Work member(s) conducting the school will instruct in whatever
part the work is requested by the Host Chapter/Council. The typical local
school does not cover every Degree. It is usually helpful if the instructor can
be told in advance what is to be taught. This also helps in making sure the necessary
paraphernalia are ready and available.
WHICH RITUAL WILL THE COMMITTEE BE TEACHING?
The
Committee normally instructs in the 1997 “Traditional Form” Ritual in the
Chapter and Council, but will provide whatever instruction is requested by the
Host Chapter and Council. The Grand Secretary/Recorder’s Office has
available for purchase both the 1997 “Traditional Form” Ritual and the “Revised
Standard Form” approved by this Grand Chapter and Grand Council in 2001.
In the opinion of the Committee on Work, Chapters who are conferring the
Chapter Degrees one or two at a time in their own Chapters would be well served
by continuing to use at least the floor work in the 1997 Chapter “Traditional
Form” Ritual, which has not been re-printed in the “Revised Standard
Form.”
The
Revised Standard Form does feature an improved organization. The Chapter
RSF Ritual contains the Past Master’s Degree for Masters and Wardens in
addition to revisions to the Floor Work and Lectures. We recommend that
each Chapter have both available. The Floor Work is the same in both
Council Rituals, and the Select Masters Lecture in the Council RSF Ritual is
the same as the Festival Form in the Traditional Form Ritual, but the RSF has a
slightly shorter Royal Masters Lecture. It is important, in ordering
Rituals from the Grand Secretary’s office, to specify which Rituals are being
ordered.
WILL THE HOST CHAPTER/COUNCIL BE EXPECTED TO EXEMPLIFY THE WORK?
Stations
for the instruction can be filled by anyone present. The Host Chapter has
no special responsibility for exemplifying the work. It helps if there
are people available to fill the stations who already know the words - at least
to some extent - but this is not a requirement. This is a learning
process, not an examination. Most instructors will request that people
working stations allow themselves to be prompted rather than read their parts.
WILL PARTICIPANTS BE ISSUED CERTIFICATES OF PROFICIENCY FOR
ATTENDING OR PARTICIPATING IN THE SCHOOL?
Determinations
as to which Companions have demonstrated sufficient proficiency to be awarded
Certificates are made by the Committee on Work at its December meeting in Waco
prior to Grand Chapter and Grand Council. These determinations are based
on whatever information is available to the Committee members, including (but
not necessarily limited to) observed performance in a local school or at the
Annual School of Instruction in Waco.
IF I DO NOT HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF PROFICIENCY AND WANT TO
QUALIFY FOR ONE, CAN I DO THAT WITHOUT ATTENDING A SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION?
Contact
a member of the Committee on Work to make arrangements for your proficiency to
be determined.